صِفاتُ مجدِك لفظٌ جلّ معناه

صِفاتُ مجدِك لفظٌ جلّ معناه

فَلا اِستَردّ الّذي أعِطاكهُ اللّهُ

فَلا اِستَردّ الّذي أعِطاكهُ اللّهُ

Your glory's attributes are words of sublime meaning.

The attributes of Your glory, their meanings are sublime

So may God never reclaim what He has given you.

None can take back what Allah has given You

يا صَارِماً بِيَمينِ اللَّه قائمُهُ

يا صَارِماً بِيَمينِ اللَّه قائمُهُ

وَفي أَعالي أَعادي اللَّهِ حَدَّاهُ

وَفي أَعالي أَعادي اللَّهِ حَدَّاهُ

O keen sword, whose hilt is in God's right hand,

O You who stand firm with Allah's sword in hand

And whose two edges lie among the heads of God's foes.

And at the heights of Allah's enemies You slash

أَصبحْتَ دونَ ملوكِ الأرض منفرداً

أَصبحْتَ دونَ ملوكِ الأرض منفرداً

بلا شبيهٍ إذِ الأملاكُ أشباهُ

بلا شبيهٍ إذِ الأملاكُ أشباهُ

You stand alone, apart from the kings of the earth,

You have become, above the kings of earth, singular

Without an equal, for kings resemble one another.

With no peer, for the angels are Your likeness

فَداكَ مَن حاوَلَتْ مسْعَاكَ هِمَّتُهُ

فَداكَ مَن حاوَلَتْ مسْعَاكَ هِمَّتُهُ

جَهلاً وقَصَّر عَن مَسعاكَ مسعاهُ

جَهلاً وقَصَّر عَن مَسعاكَ مسعاهُ

May he be your ransom whose ambition sought to match your striving,

For You, one who aspired to hear of You, foolishly

In ignorance, while his striving fell short of yours.

And failed to hear fully of You and Your feats

قُل لِلأَعادي أَلا موتوا بهِ كَمَداً

قُل لِلأَعادي أَلا موتوا بهِ كَمَداً

فَاللَّهُ خيَّبَكُم واللَّهُ أَعطاهُ

فَاللَّهُ خيَّبَكُم واللَّهُ أَعطاهُ

Tell the foes: Take heed—die of anguish over him!

Say to the enemies: die frustrated by it

For God has thwarted you, and God has favored him.

For Allah has disappointed you, and Allah gave it to Him

مَلِكٌ تَنامُ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ هِمَّتُهُ

مَلِكٌ تَنامُ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ هِمَّتُهُ

تُقىً وتَسهرُ للمعروف عيناهُ

تُقىً وتَسهرُ للمعروف عيناهُ

A king whose ambition sleeps far from wickedness,

A King who sleeps with integrity occupying His thoughts

Out of piety, while his eyes keep vigil for good deeds.

Devoutly, whose eyes stay wakeful for good

مازال يَسْمُكُ والأيّامُ تخدمُهُ

مازال يَسْمُكُ والأيّامُ تخدمُهُ

فيما اِبتَلاهُ وتُدْني ما توخّاهُ

فيما اِبتَلاهُ وتُدْني ما توخّاهُ

He has never ceased to rise, and the days serve him,

He continues to persevere as days serve Him

Through his trials, and bring near what he has sought.

In what tries Him and brings closer what He desires

حتى تَعالَتْ عن الشِّعْرَى مشاعرهُ

حتى تَعالَتْ عن الشِّعْرَى مشاعرهُ

قدْراً وجاوزتِ الجوزاءَ نَعلاهُ

قدْراً وجاوزتِ الجوزاءَ نَعلاهُ

Until his faculties rose above Sirius,

Until His feelings have risen above lowliness

In rank, and his sandals passed beyond al-Jawza.

In worth, and His shoes have surpassed stars in rank

وقد روى النّاسُ أخبارَ الكرام مَضَوْا

وقد روى النّاسُ أخبارَ الكرام مَضَوْا

وأين مِمّا رَوَوْهُ ما رأيناهُ

وأين مِمّا رَوَوْهُ ما رأيناهُ

And people have told tales of noble men now gone,

The people have conveyed accounts of great men who passed

But how can what they related compare with what we have seen?

Yet what we have seen - how far from what they told!

أَينَ الخَلائف عن فتحٍ أُتيح له

أَينَ الخَلائف عن فتحٍ أُتيح له

مظلَّلٌ أُفُقَ الدنيا جناحاهُ

مظلَّلٌ أُفُقَ الدنيا جناحاهُ

Where do the caliphs stand beside the victory granted him,

Where are the successors to a conquest unlocked for him

Whose two wings shade the world's horizon?

Shaded - the horizons of the world - by its wings?

على المنابر من أنبائه أَرَجٌ

على المنابر من أنبائه أَرَجٌ

مقطوبةٌ بفتيق المِسْك ريّاهُ

مقطوبةٌ بفتيق المِسْك ريّاهُ

On the pulpits, its tidings spread a fragrance,

Upon pulpits - from its news - a heady scent

Its aroma blended with musk's released fragrance.

Cut with pure musk's fragrance, its drafts blow

فَتْحٌ أَعادَ على الإِسلامِ بَهجتَهُ

فَتْحٌ أَعادَ على الإِسلامِ بَهجتَهُ

فافْتَرَّ مِبْسَمُهُ واهتزّ عِطْفاهُ

فافْتَرَّ مِبْسَمُهُ واهتزّ عِطْفاهُ

A victory that restored Islam's joy,

A conquest that restored to Islam its splendor

So its mouth broke into a smile, and both its flanks swayed.

Its smile shone anew and its glance fluttered

يهدي بِمُعتصمٍ بِاللَّهِ فَتكَتُهُ

يهدي بِمُعتصمٍ بِاللَّهِ فَتكَتُهُ

حديثُهَا نَسَخَ الماضي وأنساهُ

حديثُهَا نَسَخَ الماضي وأنساهُ

His fierce assault takes guidance from al-Mu'tasim bi-Allah,

It guides, with Mu'tasim holding firm to Allah, his onslaughts

Its story has superseded the past and made it forgotten.

Its narratives superseded the past and made it forgotten

إِنَّ الرُّهَا في عَمُّوريَّةٍ وكذا

إِنَّ الرُّهَا في عَمُّوريَّةٍ وكذا

مَن رامَهَا ليس مَغْزَاهُ كمغزاهُ

مَن رامَهَا ليس مَغْزَاهُ كمغزاهُ

Indeed, Edessa is in Amorium; and likewise,

Surely, glory lies in Amorium, likewise

The one who sought her—his campaign is not like the other's.

He who sought it - his campaign not like his campaign

أُختُ الكواكِبِ عِزّاً ما بَغى أَحَدٌ

أُختُ الكواكِبِ عِزّاً ما بَغى أَحَدٌ

مِنَ المُلوكِ لَها وَقماً فواتاهُ

مِنَ المُلوكِ لَها وَقماً فواتاهُ

Sister to the stars in might: no one ever sought,

Sister of stars in might - none who craved

Among kings, to subdue her and met with success,

Of kings, standing against it, attained their want

حَتّى دَلِفْتَ لَها بِالعَزْمِ يَشحَذُهُ

حَتّى دَلِفْتَ لَها بِالعَزْمِ يَشحَذُهُ

رأيٌ ببيت فُوَيْقَ النّجم مسراهُ

رأيٌ ببيت فُوَيْقَ النّجم مسراهُ

Until you advanced against her with resolve sharpened

Until you marched on it with resolve sharpened

By counsel whose nightly course lies in a dwelling just above the star.

By a view whose abode is the star's apex

مُشمِّراً وبَنو الإِسلامِ في شُغُل

مُشمِّراً وبَنو الإِسلامِ في شُغُل

عن بدء غرسٍ لهم أثمارُ عُقْباهُ

عن بدء غرسٍ لهم أثمارُ عُقْباهُ

Girded for action, while the sons of Islam were distracted

Girding yourself while the sons of Islam were busy

From beginning a planting whose eventual fruits would be theirs.

From sowing seeds for them fruits to reap later

يا مُحْييَ العدلِ إذ قامت نَوَادِبُهُ

يا مُحْييَ العدلِ إذ قامت نَوَادِبُهُ

وعامرَ الجود لمّا محّ مَغْناهُ

وعامرَ الجود لمّا محّ مَغْناهُ

O reviver of justice, when its mourners had risen,

O reviver of justice, when its pillars stood

And restorer of generosity when its dwelling had been effaced.

And enricher of bounty, when its spring was clogged

يا نِعمَةَ اللَّه يستصْفى المَزيد بها

يا نِعمَةَ اللَّه يستصْفى المَزيد بها

لِلشاكرينَ وَيستقنى صفاياهُ

لِلشاكرينَ وَيستقنى صفاياهُ

O blessing of God, through which increase is secured

O gift of Allah - through it, more good is sought

For the grateful, and His choicest gifts are acquired.

For the grateful, and its essence is filtered

أبقاك للدّين والدّنيا تَحُوطُهُما

أبقاك للدّين والدّنيا تَحُوطُهُما

مَن لمْ يُتَوِّجْك هذا التَّاجَ إلّا هُو

مَن لمْ يُتَوِّجْك هذا التَّاجَ إلّا هُو

May He preserve you for faith and the world, to guard them both—

He made you stay, for the religion and world - guarding both

The One who alone crowned you with this crown.

The One who crowned you with this crown except He